Socket-shell.



T. A. C. BOTH. SOCKET SHELL.

APPLIGATION FILED AUG. 1912.

milieu/tion of Letters Patent.

llleltented lling; 25, 1914. Serial No. 713,770.

camere s l, Tormes ,leener @ARL lie l'lnitecl States, enel f wliilcllelieve inue lil .llniprevels, el? wl the lfollow teiten 7'n eonneetien elrarwinge7 which een" te eesings for eleclllore particularly it relates te socket iliells :mil to ri-fnioveljle insulating linings ler the er "i eue-li seelret elielle 'which ere low `n tile ""1 ps 'u itneut lienolii g or elli noi-tion oi? tlie in triefi eripnratus.

eulr e i seeurefl by any suitable ineens; meinte@ on the exterior oit lil the .elion'ii lijf vv'zijv .of exemple four inver ion, but it ie, ell eouree, neilzeorl that these are :mail that various n'ronliliez may lie ployelg all eenling `witlnin rnze olli ingr f zleinie.

tli. nfeeompe ying drmxf'ings, eliewing illustri fnboclnne my invention u unil in v invention l liet sliell; Ai tlirorgli form et my iiiventien er ineulzit f ie e longgi vili seeur t tni tlie cap. 'i modilicntion; l seetieii its originel eenrlitien eepereue vvitli 'the interior projections so ne to prevent the insulating' lining from falling out of the cap. These insulating"- linings :ire usually made of iilier, es is Well known in the art, and ere usually eut eivey to form notches 'or other surfaces to eoperate with shoulders or surfeces Within tlie cap.

ln prec-tice immense numbers el electric light sockets :incl their eesings are eold to manufacturers ol? electric iiituree to be :isseinbleel With tile other )ortions ol the iii;- tures merle, or esseinbleil, by suoli lnenufee turers. lt is frequently necessary foreuch manufacturers to relinish or replete the socket casing, including the cap, to match or harmonize with the particular electric lirture of which it is to be e part. Before such replating or refinishing, however, it is necessary to remove the insulating' lining frein the socket shell. 'llie lower liberlining or insulating lining, which insulates the Vshell portion el tlie socket7 readily slips out of the shell eo that its reniovul does not mar it or require any particular care. The removal of the liningl from the cap, however, is quite :i delicate'operation for the lining has to be prierl ell er otherwise removed :trom the intei-ier locking mechanism, mounted on the interior of the ce), and which coperaties with 'alle notches, hliggers, or other portions el the insulating lining7 te liolfl it in its poeitien within the cap. This frequently murs tlie insulating lining. The frequency and `ntent el" the damage to the lining would depend upon thelabor employed for this purpeee. lleuelly unskilled labor is employed with the result that large numbers of the insulzubingr linii'lfg'e 'have been eitlier ruined by being removed lronithe interior locking surfaces in tlie, c'e'p7 or lieve been so torn er mei-reel tllet when the.;r were again placed in 'the cmp., after it lies been repleteel or renislieel, it Wee lialile not tou retain its position :intl the tears or creeks in the lining caused by its removal anni repositioning would oi''len defeat the very nurpelae el providing the een with un insulation to prevent it from beoniing; eleetrilied with poeellile :freinage to' the iirture or slioelr to y'the person "wlio may be handling it liter the fixture has been i11- slelleil; @tten the interior ineulating linilig vwie so 'torn or marred tlmt it could not loe @placed leeclr in the" Cep enfl consequently either new liningP had to be substituted or, if one wee not et lienrl the menuli'ecture of the entire electric light socket, or the entire fixture of which it was to iorm a part, would have to be delayed until a new lining could be obtained. In some cases where unskilled labor was employed and speed in reassembling the sockets after replating Was demanded by the employer no lining would be placed in some of the sockets. There was no means of detecting this oversight or carelessness Without disassembling each one of the sockets which was laborious andwould require considerable time of the operator. By.

my invention I avoid bending or otherwise marrino' the insulating lining and use an exterior Ioclting means of any construction mounted on the exterior of the cap to secure the lining within the cap. By my invention also a small finger of the lining is visible from the exterior of the socket easing so that the merest glance at the assembled shell will determine Whether or not a lining has been placed within the cap. The removal of the lining i's expedited, its life is greatly increased, and the inspection of the complete sockets to determine Whether or not a lining has been placed in the cap, is greatly facilitated.

I n the illustrative embodiments of my in vcntion shown in the drawing, 1 is a socket cap provided with the removable insulating lining 2. This insulating lining while usually of liber may be made of porcelain or any suitable insulating material. If of fiber it can bemade much thicker and stronger than it could be if it coperated with interior locking shoulders or surfaces mounted Within the cap and over which it had to be bent or sprung. I have shown by way of example my insulating lining 2 provided with suitable ingers 3, 3 which cooperate with the slots 4, -i within the cap 1. These slots 4, 4 are simply stamped or cut out of the cap and are formed large enough to readily receive the ingers 3, For purposes of illustration I have shown the slots Il, 4 somewhat exaggerated. The preferred form of assembling the. cap and insulating lining is simply to invert the cap 1, from the position shown in Fig. 2, and drop the lining 2 within the cap, the fingers 3, 3 dropping until their further downward movement is stopped by the edges 5, 5 of the slots el, 4. 4This operation is accomplished Without flexing, bending or otherwise distorting the fingers 3, 3 or Yany portion of the insulating lining 2.

After the insulating lining has been dropped into the cap 1, as previously described, it may beheld in that position by any exterior locking means. I have shown by way of example a resilient split Wire ring 6 of any suitable material Which'may be removablyY sprung around the exti rior of the cap l and beneath the fingers 3, 3. Preferably the cap is provided with a circumferential groove 7 for the reception of the resilient ring 6, though this is not essential as l I will hereinafter describe the structure shown in Fig. 4; in 'which no circumferential groove is employed.

It is-obvious that after the insulating lining is mounted in the cap it cannot be rem moved until the wire or similar member 6 is removed from, engagement with the lingers 3, 3. In replating or reinishing the electric light socket, which is formed of thecap 1 and the shell 3, Fig. 1, it is merely necessary to pry oli' the resilient ring 6 which will permit the insulating lining i?. to drop out of the cap 1 Without the necessity of bending or flexing any portion of it With the consequent damage to the insulating lining. After the cap l has been replated or renished in any suitable manner, the insulating lining 2 can be again dropped into the cap, as previously described, for the original assembling of the parts.

As the lingers 3, 3 which are purposely shown exaggerated in the figures of the drawing. will show from the exterior of the reassembled socket, F ig. 1, it is possible to inspect the complete socket after it is assembled,.or reassembled, to determine Whether or not theyhave been equipped with the insulating lining for the cap. It is of course understood that the shell 8 is provided with the usual form o' cylindrical insulation which can be easily slipped out of the shell, but as this forms no part of my invention I have not shown it. Frequently the socket shells are cquippedvvith a key 9 to operate a switch mechanism if one is employed. This, however, is no part of my present invention.

In some cases, I may employ a cap 10 having the usual oi'set 11 and in the cap form .one or more slots 12, by stamping or otherwise, to receive the fingers 3, 3 of the insulating lining Q. The insulating lining in this' form is assembled by dropping it into the cap 10, after reversing the cap from the position shown in Fig. 4 which will bring the lingers 3, 3 into engagement with the stops 13, 13 ot' the cap. I also use in this form of my invention a similar exterior llocking means whiclris preferably though not necessarily a resilient split ring 6.

Instead of using a removable exterior lool:- ing means to cooperate with the fingers, or other parts carried by the insulating lining 2, I may form a cap 14 having the usual offset 15 and provide it with suitable slots 16 for the reception of the fingers 3, 3 which are dropped into the cap 14. in the manner previously described at length for the other forms. In this form, however, instead of using a removable locking means I employ permanent locking means as for example the spring arms 17, 17 pivoted on the pins 18,18. In practice the insulating lining is dropped into the cap 14 in the manner previously de dll atentar" relation to the cap. ln some cases linayf use one or more resilient members secured at both their ends by a sliding connection with the cap, the resilient members being pried out to permit the Withdrawal oit the lining. lin lig. 6 l have shown such a construction in which the cap 20 is provided with one or more, preferably two, pieces of Wire or sirn- 'ilar material 2l, the ends oit which have a sliding connection With the punched up ridges 22, 22. ln assembling the insulating lining 2, in this form of my invention, the lining is dropped into the cap 20, the vsaine as in the other forms, the tingers 8, 3 being received in the slots 23. The ends of the short ieces of Wire 2l may then be threaded into t e diderent ridges 22, 22. lll the vvire or other :resilient member 21 was rst mounted on the exterior oit the cap, before the in sertion of the insulating lining 2, it can be priedout slightly to permit the passage oil the linger 3 after which it will spring haelt into position beneath the linger and prevent the removal of the insulating lining until the rvvire or Wires 2l, 2l are again sprung out 'to permit the Withdrawal ot the lining 2 iter replating or i'enishing ci the soclret casing, as previously described. litter suoli replating the cap and interior lining vvill he reasseinbled as described. A

Having thus described this invention in connection with several illustrative embodiments tlfiereoiu to the details oit which. ll do not desire to be limited, what. is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by ,Letters Patent is set forth inthe appended claims,

l. ln an electricalapparatus the combination ci? a casing provided with apertures, a removable insulating lining provided With lingers or projections toI coperate with the apertures and exterior means mounted on the outside of the casing and cooperating With the .insulating lining to hold it Within the casing. z Y

Q. ln an electrical apparatus the ycombination cit a casing provided with apertures, a removable substantially rigid insulating lining provided with lingers or projections to coperate with the apertures andeirterior means mounted on the outside ot the casing and coi'53, ieratin,` with the substantially rigid insulating lining to hold it Within the cas ing,

del

3. ln electric light sockets, the combination oi a cap having an otlset portion andslots, an insulating lining mounted in the cap and provided with means to coperate with the slots, and resilient means cm'l-perat 7 ing with the offset portion and ,the means carried by the insulating lining to secure the lining within the cap.

fl. ln electric light sockets, the tion oi" a cap having an oll'set 1 slots, an insulating lining mounted the cap and'provided with means to coiperatc with the slots, and a split ring to i With the odset portion of the cap ai the means carried by the insulatingl lining to secure the latter within the cap.

5. ln an electrical apparatus, the lizoinbi nation of 'a casing an insulating `lining mounted Wholly Within the casing, and means separable from the casing and mounted on its exterior adapted to cooperate with the casing and the insulating lining to hold the latter Within the casing 6. ln 'an electrical apparatus, the combination ol a casing, an insulating lining mounted wholly within the casing, and resilient means separable from the casing and mounted on its exterior adapted to cooperate 'with the casing and the insulating lining to hold the latter Within the casing. g5

7. ln an electrical ap aratus, the combinationof a casing provi ed with an exterior circumferential abutment, an insulating lining, and means separable from the casing and mounted on its exterior and cooperating `with the exterior circumferential abutment and with the insulating lining' to hold the latter within the casing.

8. lin an electrical apparatus, theconil'iiinition of a casing provided with an exterior circumlerential groove, an insulating lining, and resilient means mounted in the exterior groove oi'the casing and cooperating with the insulating lining toliold the latter withm in the cai-Singn 9. ln an electrical apparatus, the combiw nation of a cylindrical casing provided with circumferential openings, an insulating lining provided with means to cooperate with the circumferential openings, and means separate :trein the casing mounted on the circumference olE the casing and cooperating with it and. the insulating lining to hold the latter Within the casing.

l0. ln electric light sockets, the combination oi' a cap provided with a slrirt and with openings in its side Wall, a liber lining provided with means to cooperate with the openings and means separate from the cap and mounted adjacent to the skirt and on the j f' exterior ci. the cap adapted to cooperate lli lOl'i liti `with the liber lining to hold it'ivithin and an insulating lining provided With means extending. into the openings so that I said means carried by the lining Will be visible on the exterior of the cap to permit ready inspection of the sockets, and means coperating With said first meansv to hold the insulating lining in the cap.

12. In electric light sockets, the combination of a cap provided with circumferential openings, and an insulating lining provided 

